Newsletters
Turkish Football Federation (TFF) is preparing to expand its ongoing investigation into illegal betting across domestic football, moving beyond referees and players to scrutinize the executives, coaches, and managers of 139 clubs, local media reported.
According to internal plans, the federation will begin examining club presidents and their board members, with each club’s 12 to 28 officials being checked individually to determine whether they placed bets in violation of federation rules.
The same process will apply to technical directors, player agents, and coaches, whose names and identification details will be cross-referenced with data from the Sports Toto Organization, Türkiye’s state-run betting authority, Turkish columnist Saygi Ozturk wrote.
The TFF will also investigate its own committee members, match delegates, and observers, as well as former referees who retired within the past five years. Officials said the review aims to ensure that every football stakeholder bound by the disciplinary code is subject to the same scrutiny.
The investigation comes as the federation vows to pursue all parties involved "as far as the evidence leads," following weeks of revelations that betting has become widespread among those directly connected to professional football in Türkiye, Ozturk added.
Ozturk also revealed how the scandal erupted, explaining that the investigation began when the TFF sent the names and national ID numbers of referees to the Sports Toto Organization, Türkiye’s state-run betting authority, to determine whether they held accounts on licensed betting platforms.
The findings were unexpected: 371 of the 571 registered referees were found to have active betting accounts, and 152 of them had actually placed bets. This discovery led to their immediate referral to the Professional Football Disciplinary Board (PFDK)—the TFF’s official body responsible for investigating and sanctioning breaches of sporting discipline, such as match-fixing, misconduct, or gambling violations.
Following this, the TFF broadened the scope of its inquiry to include all registered professional players. Out of 1,071 individuals identified, 1,024 footballers were referred to the PFDK on Monday for allegedly violating Article 57 of the TFF Disciplinary Regulations, which strictly prohibits all football stakeholders—including referees, players, coaches, and officials—from betting on any sporting event, even through legal platforms.
Each player was instructed to submit a written defense within two days, as part of the federation’s disciplinary procedure. Officials noted that 47 players appeared to have placed only a single bet, and these cases remain under further review to determine whether they qualify for leniency under the regulations, according to Ozturk.
The ongoing disciplinary and criminal processes follow a series of revelations first disclosed by TFF President Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu in late October, when he announced that hundreds of referees were found to have betting accounts.
Following Haciosmanoglu’s remarks, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched a probe into the allegations, and the PFDK suspended 149 referees for eight to 12 months.
This week, prosecutors issued detention orders for 21 individuals, including Eyupspor President Murat Ozkaya, former Kasimpasa SK Chairman Fatih Sarac, and several referees. Some were later released pending trial, while eight suspects—including Ozkaya—were remanded in custody.
The federation also confirmed that 27 active Super Lig players are under review, including individuals from Besiktas and Galatasaray. Several players have denied wrongdoing, claiming their personal information was misused to place bets.
Regarding the developments, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA)—Europe’s governing body for football—stated this week that it remains in contact with the TFF and is monitoring the situation.
1 min read
3 min read
